Tentative Allies
by domina tempore
Summary: Todd meets two very interesting people on an otherwise uninhabited world.


_Author's Note: So I don't know *quite* where this came from; all that I know is I've been meaning to do some kind of Todd oneshot lately (because my slightly longer wraith fics are not going quite as planned :P and I know that some people like wraith fics... and I like writing Todd ;) lol) But I hope you like it :) Reviews are welcome, but be nice; this is rather new for me... Todd may turn out slightly OOC until I get used to writing him... :P lol_

------------

**Tentative Allies**

------------

Todd liked to think that he was pretty good at dealing with humans. He had friends on Atlantis, after all---though he used the term "friends" very loosely, as he was sure they did in return---and when he did feed, he was as quick and painless as possible... as long as the particular human hadn't done something horrible to him, like Kolya and his people had. But even then, he had been able to restrain himself for some time.

So yes, Todd considered himself to be quite good a dealing with humans. But he had no idea at all how to deal with children.

The pale little girl stared up at him with wide dark eyes, looking irritatingly unafraid of _him_. Hadn't she ever seen a wraith before?!

"Can you help me?" she asked him, her voice pitched high with her youth and something that sounded like fear; but once again, Todd could tell that it was not fear of _him_ that colored her tone.

"I don't have time for this," he snapped, letting his irritation to show. "Go home." He really didn't want to have to feed on this girl; he made a point to avoid children completely, whether it be interacting with them or eating them. And he was far to proud to let her break _both_ of those goals in one day.

"But I need your help," she said. "I'm lost, I'm all alone; I can't find the nice lady." He could feel the confusion coming off of her like a wave of heat; and he wondered if children were more susceptible to the wraith's mental connection, even if they did not have whatever peculiar gift that Teyla had.

"I can't help you," he told her firmly. "I'm sorry. But you're going to have to find someone else to help you."

"But I can't!" she wailed. "I need to find the nice lady; and you're the only other person on the planet!"

"Aren't you afraid of me?" he demanded. She frowned at him a little bit.

"Why should I be afraid?" she asked. Todd sighed in exasperation.

"You're _supposed_ to be afraid of me; I don't think I want to tell you why, though. Just that you should be scared."

"I need help!" she persisted, her voice as firm as his had been. "I don't know what to do, I need help..." She threw herself at him, and wrapped her small, skinny arms around both of his legs.

"Help me," she chanted again and again. "Help me, help me, help me..." Finally, Todd could take it no longer.

"Alright!" he said. "_Anything_ to keep you quite." Like magic, her tears stopped.

"Thank you!" she said happily, jumping up an down practically on top of his feet. "Let's go find the nice lady!" And she took his hand (thankfully, not the one with the feeder on it), and led him away, skipping happily though the woods. He rolled his eyes and tried desperately to curb his urge to stick her up a tree and leave her there. He could see why there had not been any children on Atlantis until Teyla's son was born.

"This way, I think," the little girl said, sounding a little bit more confident than before. "I think that she said she's be around here." Todd didn't bother to reply.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound behind them, and a second later Todd felt cold metal pressed against his neck. He froze obediently.

"Jayne," a woman's voice snapped from behind him. "Get back away."

"What are you going to do to him, Sora?" the little girl asked.

"Jayne, go back to the camp," she repeated. Jayne crossed her arms stubbornly and shook her head.

"He helped me find you; I like him. If I leave, you'll hurt him."

"Jayne..."

"No."

"Listen to me---"

"No!" Todd shook his head a bit as they continued to argue.

"I believe that I will feel empathy for Teyla in the future." The gun point on his neck wavered a little, and the woman made a soft sound.

"How do you know Teyla?" she asked. "Normally she kills wraith; she doesn't introduce herself." Todd shrugged.

"I have known her for some time, Sora," he said, calling her by the name that the girl had.

"Then she is a wraith worshipper?" Sora asked, something in her voice that he couldn't quite distinguish but gave him the idea that she and Teyla were not on the best of terms.

"No," he admitted. "Nothing like that; though I don't doubt..." he cut himself off. He'd been about to say _I don't doubt that she's had a few worshippers of her own, in her time_. But he hardly thought that anyone on Atlantis had wanted that to be common knowledge; and he was not eager to have all of Sheppard's team out to kill him---_again_---for letting that little secret slip.

"We have been forced to work together in the past," he said finally. He heard the girl behind him snort, and glanced at Jayne, who was watching the whole exchange with wide, curious eyes.

"For Teyla Emmagan to work with a wraith..." she paused for a second, and Todd felt the gun move away from his neck. He turned around to see the woman who he'd been speaking with, and was surprised to find her a small, slight female, with bright, wary eyes and coppery curls. Her clothes were simple and clearly functional, and he had no doubt that there were more weapons on her person than she cared to let on. The gun that had been against his neck was still pointed at him, but she did not look like she was ready to kill him just yet.

He tilted his head a little, and watched her carefully. She unconsciously copied the gesture, studying him carefully. He spread his hands, showing her that he had no weapons, and wondering what was going through her head.

"There must be something special about you," she said finally, answering his unspoken question, "for Teyla to have considered you worth trusting." She paused again. "I'd like to know what that is." She looked past him at the girl. "Jayne, come here," she said. Obediently, the young girl skipped past him to stand at Sora's side. The woman looked at her questioningly, and Jayne threw a quick, surprisingly wise-seeming glance at Todd. She shrugged.

Sora seemed to interpret something from the motion, because she nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to Todd.

"I guess you could be helpful where we're going, anyways," she said. Todd was confused. "You're coming with us."

"You don't want to kill me?" he asked, a mocking tone in his voice to disguise his shock.

"I may still kill you," Sora said carelessly. "But we're going to a wraith world; and you could be useful there. If I like what I see, we'll talk again."

"You're going to bring a child with you?"

"Jayne is... special. She can take care of herself." The little girl nodded, all of that very adult wisdom that had been in her eyes gone or hidden again, leaving only childish innocence. Todd frowned a little, unconvinced.

"We either take you, or I shoot you," Sora informed him coolly, raising one eyebrow. "It's your choice." The wraith sighed, sure that he was going to regret this but being more than a little curious about this odd pair. Besides, he had plenty of tricks up his sleeves yet; he could always figure out a way to double-cross them if he wanted out.

"Very well," he said. "I will accompany you." _And depending on what _I_ see, I will decide whether or not you are worth my time._

Fin.

------------

_A/N: So there you go. I love Sora, couldn't resist bringing her into this. And depending on what kind of response this gets, there will be more stories involving them. I hope you enjoyed it! :D_


End file.
